St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-18
SCANDALS IN HIGH LIFE.

The MOrdaunt Case Recalled by
the Recent Debut of a Young
Girl.
One of the most lovely debutantes of
the London season, which has just been
brought to close, was young cir
whose name must have evoked singu-
larly painful memories in royal circles
when she was presented at court by her
aunt, the Countess of Dudley, says a
New York World London letter. The
young lady's name was Miss Mordaunt,
whose birth in February, 1869, gave rise
to the terrible scandal known as the
great Mordaunt divorce case. Her
mother, the wife of wealthy Warwick
shire baronet, Sir Charles Nor
daunt, was one of the beautiful daugh-
tiers of Lady Louisa Moncreiffe. who
will go down to pOSterity as the greatest
matchmaker of the present century.
advantageous marriages from worldly
point of view. for one of Lady Nor
daunt's sisters is the Countess of Dud-
ley, another the Duchess of AthOle,
third Lady Forbes, of New, and the
fourth Lady Muir Mackenzie. Sir
Charles Mordaunt, unfortunately, was
far more devoted to his fishing in Nor
way and to his shooting in Scotland
than in his exceedingly charming wife.
He reaped the result of his conduct
when, few days after the birth of the
young lady above mentioned, his wife
confessed to having miSconducted her
self with the Prince of Wales, Lord
Cole, Sir Frederick tombstone and Capt.
Farquhar. She moreover asserted that
Lord Cole was the father of her child, a
fact subsequently corrobOrated by GER
tain entries in her diary. The case came
before the courts in February, 1870, and
strong evidence was adduced in sup
port of the charges made by Sir Charles.
The public interest in the trial reach Ell
its climax when on the Esd of February
the Prince of Wales entered the witness
box, submitted to croSS-eXamina ton,
and denied on oath that any criminal in
timacy had existed between himself and
Lady Mordaunt. The jury at the time got
out of the difficulty of returning a v9r-
dict in accordance with the evidence by
declaring that Lady Mordaunt was in
such state of mental disorder as to be
unfit or unable to make any reply
to instruct an attorney for her defense.
1t was therefore decided that a fresh
trial should take place as soon as Lady
Mordaunt'S reason had become entirely
restored to its normal state. This
occurred about five years later, when a
divorce was granted on the ground
of her misconduct with Lord Cole
and Sir Frederick tombstone. Lady Nor
daunt is now living in Paris, and is re-
ported to be confirmed morphomaniac.
She will probably end her miserable
days in a madhouse. The little girl was
taken charge of and brought up by Lady
dudley, and has now made her debut in
society under her beautiful aunt's aus
ptces. No trace reNains of the temper
ary blindness with which she was
afflicted at the time of her birth. 1t may
be added as somewhat characteristic of
certain phases of English society that
not only have Lady Mordaunt's sisters,
the Duchess of Athole, the Countess of
Dudley and Lady Forbes, remained on
most intimate terms with both the Prince
and Princess of Wales. but that more
over Lord Cole and Sir Frederick John
stone are among the fayorite visitors at
Sandringham.